2 random things before I get to the main point of this post:
1. Ankles are important for running. My ankle decided to be a punk and hurt a little when I would start to run. Wednesdays are usually speed work and Thursdays are easy runs. But, no running for this girl.
Enter: treadmill + incline + fast-paced walking
![[Instagram]](https://fitnessmeetsfrosting.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/2014-01-22-17-30-25.jpg?w=300&h=300)
2. I will be MIA this weekend except for on Instagram (surprise surprise). I’m going up to Tahoe to go snowboarding/skiing for my BFF’s birthday weekend extravaganza. You know it’ll be good when “extravaganza” is in the title.
On to the point of this post!
For breakfast, I like to have something quick that I can prep the night before. Things like oatmeal, overnight oats, smoothies, etc. Recently, I’ve been making my Banana Chia Pudding! Before I give you my recipe, I wanted to discuss why everyone and their mom is into chia seeds.
NOTE: I majored in physiology and metabolism, so I’m gonna get a little nerdy on you. If you want to zone out and just scroll down to the recipe, I won’t be offended.
Chia seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber.
Fiber helps you poop. Nough said. (I kid, but I wanted to talk more about Omega-3’s)
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fatty acids (EFA). “Essential,” in the nutrition world, means that it is a nutrient that your body cannot make in sufficient quantities to meet bodily needs and that it must be obtained from food sources. Our body’s happen to lack the enzyme to produce this EFA.
2 types of omega 3’s can be obtained from food:
- Alpha-linolenic acid– found in plant sources (like chia seeds)
- Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)– found in fish
Simply put, DHA and EPA are thought to have beneficial effects on cardiovascular disease and inflammation. Also, it is believed that alpha-linolenic acid is essential because of it’s ability to be incorporated into cell membranes.
That’s probably enough of my nerd talk. So on to the food stuff!
Because chia seeds form gels in liquid, they are a great way to make puddings! But I also throw them in my yogurt or cereals at the last minute.
This is my recipe for Banana Chia Pudding! It only uses 4 ingredients, is gluten-free, vegan, and has no added sugar! I should warn you that the finished product will look like something your dog barfed up. It will taste delicious though.
Banana Chia Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 large, ripe, mashed banana
- 2/3 cup unsweetened NF almond milk
- 3 tbsp chia seeds
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
Directions
- Mash banana with a fork or by hand into a bowl (see pic below).
- Add the almond milk, and continue to mash the banana (the mixture will still be a little chunky unless you blend in a blender or food processor).
- Add chia seeds and cinnamon. Stir to combine.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The chia pudding will have thickened overnight. Can serve as is, but sometimes I like to add a little granola or nuts for crunch!
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(Mashed naners and the pudding before refrigeration)
I love throwing chia seeds in stuff! Smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal…. Never thought of making pudding though, my husband would LOVE this 🙂
Oh good! Let me know if he likes it!
I was going to make a poop joke here based on the photo, but decided to save it! Sounds nutritious!
Lol yeah…not the best looking food…
I’ve never actually tried chia seeds
Oh really? They’re fabulous and you can sneak them in so many things (smoothies, cereal, yogurt, quinoa, oatmeal, etc.). Just don’t eat too many or the bathroom will become your BFF 😉
mmm the banana mush looks yum. cinnamon is totally clutch for me, and i bet some pb or almond butter would taste fab in this too. have a great time snowboarding at Tahoe — jealoussss. dying to go there! i’ll be on my little East Coast mntn this wknd, wishing i was out west. 🙂
Either of those nut butters would be AMAZING in it! Great idea! Haha there prob won’t be much snow since we’ve had a dry season over here, but it’ll be fun. Have fun on the East Coast!! Sounds amazing 🙂
Freaking love when you go all nerdy on us ;). I LOVE learning and being reminded of that kind of stuff. Chia seeds are the “in” thing right now, and some people will eat it without knowing exactly why it’s good for us.
Hope your ankle starts behaving well! You got some half marathons to crush!
Lol aww thank you! You’re prob the only one who loves it 😉
Thank you! The ankle is bugging me today so I think when I get home I’m just going to put on my brace and wear it for a few days.
Have a fun weekend! Should be super beautiful! I’m gonna try that pudding, yay! I have all the ingredients already! I put a little chia seed in salad and bread too. I also put whole flax seeds in just about everything. It adds a nuttiness flavor and a little crunch.
Thank you!! Yay!! I promise it tastes wayyy better than it looks. Whole flaxseeds you have to be careful with because our bodies tend to not process them as easily. Most people end up “excreting” them without taking much of their nutrients. I prefer ground flaxseed because it allows for better absorption.
Thanks for the insight on the flaxseed. I’ll do the ground flaxseed. I have that too! I also like the shelled hemp seeds too. My first thought when someone recommended hemp seeds was that I would not pass the urine test. Not to worry. Lol.
LOL good thing you aren’t looking for a new job 😉
Ok I just made my banana-chia pudding! Can’t wait to have it in the morning. Just licking the spoon, I know it will be good!
How did you like it?
All birthdays should have extravaganza in the title!! Have fun snowboarding. At the risk of sounding like a mom, careful with your ankle. Snowboarding would be a fast way to the ER for me, but I’m sure you’re more coordinated than I am 😉 Can’t wait to see some beautiful snow shots.
Haha I know, I think I’m going to put my ankle brace on when I get home today. Thanks mom 😉 lol I kid. I rarely make it down the mountain without falling, but it’s just so fun!
Yeah, just created a Twitter. I’m such a sheep.
Woo Hoo. We can flock together.
I put chia seeds in everything! I’m also known to sneak them into other people’s food just to say SEE YOU COULDN’T EVEN TELL! haha. This is an awesome recipe and I’m not sure why I haven’t thought about it before! I love banana flavored things, pudding being no exception.
LOL!! Brilliant idea. I actually do that to my boyfriend. I’ve been able to successfully sneak spinach into my pizza muffins and he didn’t know until I told him after he ate a billion of them. I hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
I can’t wait to try this (even if it looks like dog barf). Question though, where did you get that monster bag of chia seeds??? I get mine from Trader Joe’s and ours only stocks little baby size bags 😦 Have so much fun this weekend, I wish there was some snow to go along with these frigid temps on the east coast!
LOL! Costco!! I swear we’ve had that bag for 6+ months and are just now starting to make a dent. Thank you so much 🙂
Have a wonderful time!
I loved the nerd talk – more please! This looks super good 🙂
Aww thank you!
Ummmmmmm what a cool major, please go nerd status on us more often!
I hope your weekend was a blast and your ankle heals up soon! (Because they are rather important for running… and for life :))
Haha aww thanks!
My weekend was a blast! Yes I agree, ankles are quite important for getting around 😉
Yum, this would be good! I mix chia seeds into a big soy yogurt container so I have chia yogurt on hand, have it for breakfast often, usually with some chopped fruit underneath and nuts and seeds sprinkled on top.
YUM! That’s a great idea to just mix the seeds into the large yogurt container! Never would have thought of that!
Woah – gross. I’m going to try this! 🙂